Have you ever been given a fire?

Neither had I, but, as the saying goes, there’s a first time for everything. A very nice family was at the Lizard Lake campground when we arrived on Sunday. They had a fire going as they enjoyed some quality time together. We were into our carving session when they were ready to leave: they asked if we would like them to leave the fire burning for our use rather than extinguish it as they would normally do. Of course, ask a group of explorers if they want to inherit a fire and it’s easy to guess their response. So, we were given a fire. Only thing is, we already had a packed agenda for our Lizard Lake exploration, so the fire was a double edged sword: a nice addition and a plan wrecker!

Perhaps the word "incline" was a clue?

We’re nothing if not adaptable in Explorers Club, and the boys had been putting up with more triangular, or directive, leadership than usual as we pushed to get up the hill, so the fire was a welcome serendipitous moment. It also helped us warm up a little on a cool, drizzly Sunday.

We had begun our adventure by boarding Moose, Wild Whatcom’s “other” trusty bus. A half hour after departing Cascades Montessori Middle School, we met to hand out jobs and get a preview of the day’s plan which was, in a word, UP. After an easy stroll on a logging road, we turned in to the Alternate Incline trail and started up. An edge-stretching hour plus later, ten bedraggled explorers and two huffing/puffing mentors welcomed the site of Lizard Lake in a steady drizzle. 

Boys with knives!

While the Barred Owls devoured their well-earned lunch, mentor Brian reviewed the important safety rules for carving. Then, blood circles clearly established, the boys set to work creating chopsticks. Carving is a skill that provides a direct connection to the land. Many of us have torn the paper off a pair of chopsticks at a restaurant; how many have harvested the wood and used our hands to fashion a personal, unique tool?

It was while we were working on this project that our neighbors offered us the unplanned diversion. Several boys switched to tending the fire while a few explored the lake shore (fortunately, no one fell into the lake) and others kept at their carving. After the hard work of climbing that hill, it felt good to give the explorers a choice of activity.

We still had one more thing planned that we were confident the boys would enjoy and there was that long walk back to the bus, so the mentors were mindful of the clock. We called for the fire to be extinguished, the explorations wrapped up and the knives sheathed. Packs on, we headed up again for the short, but challenging approach to the caves. 

Formed when several large boulders tumbled into a jumble of now moss coated invitations to

scramble and tight spaces into which to squeeze, the caves provide an instinctive release for the child

How many are down there?

passions into which the mentors try to tap. To understand what we mean by child passions, think back to the things you enjoyed doing as a child such as listening to stories, catching little critters, pretending, or sneaking. These simple, instinctive activities can spark unbridled joy and connection. Climbing boulders and exploring dark caves were accompanied for the next half hour by exhilarated calling to a friend - “Hey, look at this!” - and trepidatious expression of daring and apprehension.

We weren't much faster going down the hill

All too soon, he struck out for the bus, a few long, slow miles distant. I was mistaken in assuming the hike down the trail would go more quickly and easily than the approach hike. After all, I thought, it is downhill! So, we took a few rest breaks on our journey out. It was during one of those breaks, when several boys decided to continue work on their chopsticks, that one of the boys sustained a very small cut from his carving knife. All things considered, one small slice when 10 explorers carve is an exceptional result!

We arrived at the trailhead at just about 4:00, which would’ve been great had we not still had a half hour bus ride ahead of us. Parents and guardians, many thanks for your understanding. I’m sorry for the delayed return.

As BEC mentors, we try to stress a focus on meeting the boys at the intersection of their interests, their skills, and our plan for guiding them as they grow in their confidence in and connection to the natural world. When we find that sweet spot, we try to “stretch their edge” by moving them from their comfort zone to their learning zone without moving all the way to their panic zone. We definitely challenged them with this hike. Some were able to respond fully; others seemed to feel overstretched. We’ll adjust as we continue to work to level set.

Click here for the full set of pictures from Sunday’s outing. Thanks again for your understanding of our late return. I’ll try to see that doesn’t happen again.